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[quote=Anonymous]Really interesting posts about Alexandria and I agree with each of them to a certain degree.    I'm not sure what it is that makes the Alexandria system so dysfunctional - but Arlington does appear to be much more together in comparison.

There are a number of good elementary schools in ACPS, but the other posters are right that many middle and upper middle class kids take off in middle school (I'm one of those and I have absolutely no regrets).  We will consider TC for HS, but it will depend on what we believe to be best for our kids.  Our entire time in the public school system was a series of ups and downs - good teachers and then very bad teachers.  One thing that really bothered me was the way the teachers, even the really good ones, constantly complained about central office and the administration.  Great programs one year are cut the next - you just never knew what lay around the corner.   We met fabulous parents and totally psycho parents.  Parents that start off as public school cheerleaders until one thing goes wrong and they have tantrums that rattle an entire grade.    From what I have seen and heard, Arlington seems so much more balanced.  I'm happy to write the private school check just because I know what I'm getting and our administrators actually can make decisions without all of the ridiculous standards (and of course, the testing complicates things too).

That said, I would still recommend ACPS for the early years (k-2 or 3)- after that it's a game of roulette.  .  Once testing is introduced in 3rd, and TAG in 4th, elementary becomes another animal completely.  That said, my kids were extremely well prepared for private, so if you can take the unpredictability the academics are sound.  As for Jefferson Houston becoming the school for the "troubled" kids, my guess is the complete opposite.  If it becomes a focus IB school, it will more likely become a haven for middle class families trying to avoid GW and Hammond.  I agree that segregation has been the glue keeping many parents in the system - check out the "open honors" classes at GW sometime.[/quote]

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